Work Study

• Work study is the systematic examination of the methods of carrying on activities so as to improve the effective use of resources and to set up standards of performances for the activities being carried out .

• Work study as defined by British standards institute is a generic term for those techniques particularly “method study” and “work measurement” which are used in the examination of human work in all its contexts and which leads systematically to the investigation of all the factors which affect the efficiency of the situation being reviewed , in order to seek improvements .

• Work study succeeds because it is systematic both in the investigation of the problem being considered and in the development of its solution .

Why work study ??• It is a means of raising the productivity of a plant or

operating unit by the reorganization of work.• It is systematic. This ensures that no factor affecting the

efficiency of an operation is overlooked whether in analysing the original practices or in developing the new , and all the facts about that operation are available .

• It is most accurate means yet evolved of setting standards of performance on which effective planning and control of production depends .

• It can contribute to the improvement of safety and working conditions at work by exposing hazardous operations and developing safer methods of performing operations .

• The savings resulting from properly applied work study start at once and continue as long as the operation continues in the improved form .

• It is a tool which can be applied everywhere . It can be used with success wherever work is done or plant is operated , not only in manufacturing shops but also in offices , stores , laboratories and service industries as wholesale and retail distribution and restaurants and on farms .

• It is relatively cheap and easy to apply . • It is one of the more penetrating tools of investigation

available to management . Because work study is systematic and because it involves investigation by direct observation of all the factors affecting the efficiency of a given operation , it will show up any shortcomings in all the activities affecting that operation .

Advantages of work study

• Uniform and improved production flow . • Higher production efficiency . • Reduced manufacturing costs .• Fast and accurate delivery dates .• Better employee – employer relations.• Better service to customers .• Job security and job satisfaction to workers .• Better working and other conditions .• Higher wages to workers .

Techniques of work study and their relationship

• Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of ways of doing things in order to make improvements .

• Work measurement is the application of techniques designed to establish the time for a qualified worker to carry out a task at a defined rate of working .

• Method study and work measurement are closely linked . Method study is concerned with the reduction of work content of a job or operation , while work measurement is mostly concerned with the investigation and of any ineffective time associated with it ;and with the subsequent establishment of time standards for the operation when carried out in the improved fashion , as determined by method study .

Work study

Method study – to simplify the job and

develop more economical methods of doing it .

Work measurement – to determine how long it should take

to carry out the job

Higher productivity

Work study

Method study To improve methods

of production

Work measurement To asses effectiveness

of workers

Resulting in more effective use of

•Material

•Manpower

•Plant and equipment

Making possible improved

•Planning and control

•Manning and

•As a basis for sound incentive schemes

Higher productivity

Select ( the job to be studied)

Record( by collecting data

or by direct observation)

Develop ( New method , drawing on

contributions of those concerned)

Examine ( by challenging purpose ,

place , sequence and method of work )

Evaluate ( results of different

alternative solutions )

Define ( new method and present it )

Cont…..

The approach to work study

Install ( new method & train

persons in applying it )

Maintain (and establish

control procedures)

Cont…..

Basic procedure of work study • Select the job or process to be studied . • Record or collect the relevant data about the job or

process using the most suitable data collection techniques .

• Examine the recorded facts critically and challenge everything that is done , considering in turn ; the purpose of the activity ;the place where it is performed ; the sequence in which it is done ; the person who is doing it ;the means by which it is done .

• Develop the most economic method , taking into account all the circumstances and drawing as appropriate on various production management techniques as well as on the contributions of managers , supervisors , workers and other specialists with whom new approaches should be explored and discussed .

• Evaluate the results attained by the improved method compared with the quantity of work involved and calculate a standard time for it .

• Define the new method and the related time and present it to all those concerned , either verbally or in writing , using demonstrations .

• Install the new method , training those involved , as an agreed practice with the allotted time of operation.

• Maintain the new standard practice by monitoring the results and comparing them with the original targets.

• Steps 1,2 and 3 occur is every study , whether the technique being used is method study or work measurement .

• Step 4 ( develop ) is part of method study practice , while step 5 calls for the use of work measurement . It is possible that after a certain time the new method may prove to be in need of modification , in which case it would be re-examined again using the above sequence.

The human factor in the application of work study

The human factor in enterprise operations

• The human factor is one of the most crucial elements in enterprise operations , for it is through people that management can control the utilization of its resources and the sale of its products or services.

• To give the best of their ability , employees must be motivated to do so .

• One of the greatest difficulties in obtaining the active cooperation of the workers is the fear that raising productivity will lead to unemployment .Workers are afraid that that will work themselves out of their jobs.

• Due to this , steps taken to raise productivity can meet with resistance .

• If work study is to contribute seriously to the improvement of productivity , relations between management and workers must be reasonably good before any attempt is made to introduce it , and the worker must have the confidence in the sincerity of management towards them; otherwise they will regard it as a way of getting more work out of them without any benefit to themselves .

• If the management is able to create a satisfying working environment at the enterprise and a culture that welcomes and encourages productivity improvement , then work study development program may be seen as “owned” jointly by managers , supervisors and the workforce .

Work study and Management

• Work study is the most penetrating tool of investigation. • It is systematic , resulting in the identifying the places

where effort and time are being wasted . In order to eliminate waste , the causes of it must be looked for.

• Usually the causes are bad planning , bad organization , insufficient control or lack of proper training .

• If the application of work study in an organization is to succeed , it must have the understanding and the backing of the management at all levels , starting at the top.

• Management group is generally the 1st group to whom the work study techniques are explained .

• A short appreciation course could be run for the top management before starting to apply work study .

Work study and the supervisor

• Supervisors represent management to the worker on the shop floor .

• Before the work study practitioner starts work , the whole purpose of work study and the procedures involved must be carefully explained to the superviosr , so that he or she understands exactly what is being done and why . Unless , this is done , the supervisor may be hostile to the entire efforts towards work study . This is due to following reasons :

1. Supervisors are most deeply affected by work study . The work for which they may have been responsible for years is being challenged .if through the application of work study methods , the efficiency of the operations for which they are responsible is greatly improved , they may feel that their prestige in the eyes of their supervisors and of the workers will be lessened .

• 2. In most firms where specialists have not been used , the whole running of a certain operation – planning , programmes of work , developing job methods , making up time sheets , setting piece rates , hiring , firing workers may have been done by supervisor. The mere fact that certain responsibilities have been taken away is likely to make him or her experience a loss of status .

• 3. If the disputes arise or the workers are upset , supervisors are the first people who will be called up to clear matters up and it is difficult for them to so fairly if they do not understand the problem.

• Since supervisors are nearer to the practical side of the job , than management , and so are most intimately connected with work study , the work study course that they take should be longer and more detailed than that given to management .

• They should be acquainted with the principal techniques of method study and work measurement and the particular problems and situations in which they should be applied .

• The trainees should be given opportunities of making one or two simple method studies and of measuring the time of an operation .

• The work study practitioner will only retain supervisor’s friendship and respect by showing from the beginning that he or she is not try to usurp their place . The following rules must be followed :

Never give a direct order to worker. All instructions must be given through the supervisor .

Workers asking questions calling for decisions outside the technical field of work study should always be referred to their supervisors .

The work study person should take care never to express opinions to a worker which may be interpreted as as critical of the supervisor .

The workers in any work area can have only one boss – their supervisor – and everything must be done to uphold his or her authority .

Work study and worker• When the 1st conscious attempt was made at the turn of

the century , little was known about the way people behaved at work . As a result , workers often resisted or were hostile to work study . During the past 40 yrs , however , a great deal of research has been carried out to discover more about the way people behave – the aim being not only to explain that behaviour but also to predict how people will react to a new situation .

• Every organization has formal and informal structure .• The formal structure is defined by the management in

terms of authority relationships .• Similarly there also exist an informal organization

composed of informal groups which have their own goals and activities and which bear the sentiments of their members . Each gorup expects its members to conform to a certain standard of behaviour , since otherwise the group cannot achieve its goal . , whether this be accomplishing a task or providing a means for friendly interaction .

• Disregarding or ignoring such basic notions of behaviour has often created resentment and outright hostility .

• In order to avoid such hostile situation , a wrok study person must follow some of the following guiding lines :

• The problem of raising productivity should be approached in a balanced way , without too great an emphasis being placed on productivity of labour .

• In most enterprises , great increases in productivity can generally be effected through the application of work study to improve plant utilization and operation , to make more effective use of space and to secure greater economy of materials before the question of increasing the productivity of the labour force need to be raised .

• The importance of studying the productivity of all resources of the enterprise and of not confining the application of work study to the productivity of labour alone cannot be overemphasized . It is only natural that the workers should resent efforts being made to improve their efficiency while they can see glaring inefficiency on the part of the management .

• What is the use of halving the time workers take to do a certain job or of imposing a production output on them by well applied work study if they are held back by the lack of materials or by frequent machine breakdowns resulting from bad planning by their supervisors ?

• It is important that the work study person be open and frank as to the purpose of the study .

• Workers representatives should be kept fully informed of what is being studied and why . They should receive induction training in work study so that they can understand properly what is being attempted . Similarly , involving the workers in the development of an improved method of operation can win them over to the new method and can sometimes produce unexpected results .

• One tried and tested practice is to invite the workers in a section to be studied to nominate one of their number to join the work study specialist and together with the supervisor , to form a team that can review the work to be done , discuss the results achieved and agree on the steps for implementation .

• Although asking for a worker’s suggestions and ideas implicidly serves to satisfy hid or her need for recognition , this can be achieved in a more direct way by giving proper credit where it is due .

• The work study person must make it clear that it is the work and not the worker that is being studied .

• It is important that the work study person should remember that the objective is not merely to increase productivity but also to improve job satisfaction and that he or she should devote enough attention to this later issue by looking for ways to minimize fatigue and to make the job more interesting and more satisfying .

The work study Practitioner

• Education • Practical experience • Personal qualities • Sincerity and honesty • Enthusiasm • Interest in and sympathy with people • Tact • Good appearance • Self confidence

Land and

buildingsMaterials Human

resources

Plant, machines, equipment

Energy

Input Resources

Management Obtains the facts, plans